UA pushes plan for courts on U. garage

Responding to student demand for more athletic facilities on campus, the Undergraduate Assembly last night recommended the construction of basketball courts on top of the parking structure at 38th and Spruce streets, possibly before next spring. The plan -- which the UA will formally present to Provost Robert Barchi today -- calls for the construction of a pair of basketball courts placed end to end on the uppermost level of the garage, which attaches to the back of the Class of 1920 Commons dining facility. The UA estimated that the construction of the courts would cost between $70,000 and $100,000, and UA leaders felt certain that Barchi and other University administrators would be receptive to their plans. "We want to get him on board and then take it to Dr. Rodin," UA Chairperson Michael Silver said. "I'm confident that he will see that it's a very reasonable, very unique, much-needed proposal." The College senior noted that the UA has received very strong support for its plans from Recreation Director Mike Diorka. UA Vice Chairperson Ryan Robinson, a Wharton senior, said the University would have no reason to withhold its support from the proposal, noting that the UA has "gotten good feedback from [President Judith] Rodin on it." "The architecture firms who are proposing the new Superblock all have proposed doing something with the roof of that parking lot," Robinson noted. "We're almost a step ahead of them." Both Silver and Robinson acknowledged that the funding of the UA's $100,000 plan would be a significant issue in its realization. However, both remained confident that the UA would be able to acquire funding from a variety of sources, including alumni, student groups and the UA's own funds. Robinson said he believed the plan has the potential to be completed quickly, with courts available for use by students next spring. "I would love to see this get the ball rolling and have the plans finalized by the end of the semester," he said. "I'm confident that we're doing everything we can right now." Besides funding, another barrier to the construction of the courts will be the loss of revenue-producing parking spaces by the University, Robinson acknowledged. "It's definitely an obstacle that we're dealing with," he said. Robinson noted, however, that that the UA conducted a survey of the parking spaces that would be affected and found that fewer than 6 percent of the spaces were used on a daily basis. At its weekly meeting last night, the UA also approved partial funding for two events. The body approved a request for $1,000 in funding for Aspects, a performance focusing on college diversity issues of race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality scheduled to take place during Unity Week. The UA also voted to approve $100 in funding for advertising for a three-on-three charity basketball tournament to be held November 20. The Management 100 class group organizing the event had requested $2,500 in UA funding. UA member Yale Cohen, a Wharton freshman, brought the funding request before the body on behalf of his Management 100 group. UA Treasurer and Budget Committee Chairperson Michael Bassik explained that the Budget Committee voted to provide funding only for advertising because the UA's rules prohibit it from making charitable donations. The body debated the issue of funding charitable events at last week's UA meeting when a consortium of student performing arts groups requested thousands of dollars of funding for a charity performance to be held in December. In that case, the UA provided the groups with only a small fraction of the funding they requested.